Stop complaining and be part of the solution to the homeless crisis

To all those who throw out the "just get a job" routine, answer these simple questions (which, by the grace of the Lord, you have never bothered to ponder from your high horse):

Have you ever filled out a job application? If so, then you know you have to fill out your address. If you have no address, what would you put in that space? If you don't have a phone, how does a prospective employer contact you to set up an interview? I you are lucky enough to have obtained an "Obama-phone," what do you wear to an interview? Where do you clean up? If you say the "shelter," I dare you to go down there to see what that place is really like.

Too scared? I don't blame you. But don't worry, as of Nov. 1, they have a listed 1-1/2 to 2-week waiting period to start the intake process, so you couldn't just spend the night anyway.

I don't condone reaching into cars (how is that not simple assault?), or following people around an ATM, but the judge in the case was quite clear on these issues. There are several church-based groups in the area that help out in feeding the poor, but their efforts only go so far.

How many of you high-horse jockeys are out there making and giving out sandwiches (no doubt, the target of the next council meeting), volunteering at the shelter and various drop-in centers around town (who work hard but are merely putting Band-Aids on bullet wounds around the city), or just talking to these people?

You'd be surprised how far a conversation goes.

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If they're a drug addict, maybe you are the one who can convince them to get help. Ever think about that?

If people ask you for money to help them, and you feel uncomfortable, I don't blame you. You should be uncomfortable, living in a nation with so many resources but so many people falling between the cracks. Bless those of you who do contribute, with either time or money, to help those who can't help themselves. Whether you do so out of religious teachings, or merely because it is the right thing to do, bless you.

To those who just want to stop feeling uncomfortable, get over yourselves. Get involved! You've heard it said about other issues: if you aren't a part of the solution, you are part of the problem. So stop being a part of the problem and actually do something about it!

You'll feel better about yourself, you'll help those who need it the most, and you just might make a friend in the process.

Until this city, its government and citizens actually take action to confront the problems of poverty, homelessness and addiction, then we are lost. We can't legislate ourselves out of these problems. We can't just "write a new law" and hope it just goes away, which a Sun editorial proposed a week or so ago.

Refining an unconstitutional statute will not fill a belly or take away an addiction. Convening another "task force" to study the issue doesn't help a single person on the streets. Real measurable actions are what's needed. To those who follow scripture, read the letter of James, and ask yourself if your faith is alive or dead (James 2:14-17).

To those who don't, ask yourself if you are really doing enough to help your brothers and sisters in need. Don't just be another part of the problem. Let this city, through you, be a part of the solution.

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